HR QUIZ chapter 4
helps support organizations that compete on differentiation or innovation, because flexible responsiveness is central to making this strategy work.
A divisional structure Divisional structures help support organizations that compete on differentiation or innovation, because flexible responsiveness is central to making this strategy work. Functional structures help support organizations that compete on cost, because efficiency is central to making this strategy work.
_blank refers to the degree to which work units are grouped based on functional similarity or similarity of workflow.
Departmentalization Departmentalization refers to the degree to which work units are grouped based on functional similarity or similarity of workflow.
The _________blank consists of 194 items that cover work behaviors, work conditions, and job characteristics that can be generalized across a wide variety of jobs.
Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) The PAQ is a standardized job analysis questionnaire containing 194 items representing work behaviors, work conditions, and job characteristics that can be generalized across a wide variety of jobs. An advantage of the PAQ is that it covers the work context as well as inputs, outputs, and processes.
Which of the following questions should be addressed right after the inputs required for production have been established?
What tasks are required in the production of the output? Once the inputs required for the production have been established, the next step is to focus on the process. The question to be addressed is, What tasks are required in the production of the output?
How does the mechanistic approach differ from the motivation approach?
Workers in organizations that follow the mechanistic approach can be easily replaced. By designing jobs that lack significant meaningfulness, the organization reduces its need for high-ability individuals and thus becomes less dependent on individual workers. Individuals are easily replaceable—that is, a new employee can be trained quickly and inexpensively to perform the job.
Workflow design is the process of
analyzing the tasks necessary for the production of a product. Workflow design is the process of analyzing the tasks necessary for the production of a product or service, prior to allocating and assigning these tasks to a particular job category or person.
When compared to divisional structures, managers in functional and centralized structures
are less sensitive to individual differences between workers. The nature of the structure has implications for relationships. Managers of divisional structures often need to be more experienced or high in cognitive ability relative to managers of functional structures. The relatively smaller scope and routine nature of jobs created in centralized and functional structures make them less sensitive to individual differences between workers.
Inez Shapiro, a product designer at a furniture and accessories company, has been given the authority to make decisions about how to accomplish her job. The goal is to enhance Inez's ability to be innovative in developing new products. The Job Characteristics Model classifies this as
autonomy. According to the Job Characteristics Model, jobs can be described in terms of five characteristics: skill variety, task identity, autonomy, feedback, and task significance. Autonomy is the degree to which the job allows an individual to make decisions.
At the RVL Corporation, a multinational financial services firm, the company's numerous work units and divisions have been given autonomy to work independently. However, senior management has recently promoted more of a collaborative approach. Now these work units and divisions are being asked to work together on an ongoing basis. Unfortunately, this resulted in many units becoming territorial and refusing to share ideas for fear of losing power and influence and eventually being eliminated. This functional structure will produce which drawback?
cascading effect of errors In a functional system, which is highly centralized, errors tend to cascade through the system as a whole more quickly and can be more debilitating.
Yolanda Jones, a financial manager at the FINX Corporation, is in charge of creating and distributing a monthly profit margin report. The job description discusses preparing reports, coordinating teams, and presenting information. These are examples of job _________needed for this position
duties
Hotel employees who work at the front desk had their jobs redesigned by management so they could make decisions about handling guest issues without the approval of the front desk manager. This is an example of job
enrichment Job design interventions emphasizing the motivational approach tend to focus on increasing the meaningfulness of jobs. Adding more decision-making authority to a job to increase its motivational potential is known as job enrichment.
Samantha Roberts was hired as a customer service representative by the Elevenore Corporation almost 20 years ago. Since then, she has moved around in the company and taken on additional responsibilities as part of her job duties. At one point, 80 percent of her job duties and responsibilities were things that she did not do when she first started. This was a cause of concern for her because Samantha felt that her job was no longer what she expected when she started, and her current salary was not in alignment with her current job responsibilities. The problems that occurred in this situation could have been prevented if management or HR had conducted a(n)
job analysis. Although there are numerous sources for error in the job analysis process, most inaccuracy is likely to result from job descriptions simply being outdated. For this reason, in addition to statically defining the job, the job analysis process must also detect changes in the nature of jobs.
The factual or procedural information that is necessary for successfully performing a task is called:
knowledge. Knowledge is the factual or procedural information that is necessary for successfully performing a task. Knowledge is one of the characteristics that is not directly observable; it is observable only when individuals are carrying out the tasks, duties, and responsibilities (TDRs) of the job.
The _________blank section in a Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) focuses on planning and information-processing activities.
mental processes The mental processes section in a Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) focuses on the reasoning, decision-making, planning, and information-processing activities that are involved in performing the job.
Management at Royalty Toys and Games wants to create a culture and work environment in which people can thrive and derive personal satisfaction and gratification from the products they develop working for the company. The company does this by giving workers a great deal of freedom to explore new and innovative ideas on a daily basis. This is an example of which approach to job design?
motivational approach The motivational approach focuses on the job characteristics that affect psychological meaning and motivational potential, and it views attitudinal variables (such as satisfaction) as the most important outcomes of job design.
The most common source of error in the job analysis process results from job descriptions being
outdated. Although there are numerous sources for error in the job analysis process, most inaccuracy is likely to result from job descriptions simply being outdated. Hence, in addition to statically defining the job, the job analysis process must also detect changes in the nature of jobs
Jim Wong, a production manager, decides to design jobs based entirely on the principles of the motivational approach, emphasizing the achievement of positive psychological outcomes for workers. One potential drawback to taking this approach to job design is that there may not be a positive impact on worker:
productivity. The motivational and mechanistic approaches are negatively related to each other, suggesting that designing jobs to maximize efficiency very likely results in a lower motivational component to those jobs. By carefully and simultaneously attending to both efficiency and satisfaction aspects of job redesign, managers can sometimes achieve the best of both worlds.
Holding monthly meetings, attending quarterly reviews, and planning annual conferences are all examples of
responsibilities. A job description is a list of the tasks, duties, and responsibilities (TDRs) that a job entails. TDRs are observable actions.
WMZ Manufacturing Corporation employs 2,000 production workers who help to assemble consumer electronics products. To maximize efficiency and minimize costs, the company has designed the production jobs so there is one best way to perform those jobs. This is an example of which approach to job design?
scientific management approach The scientific management approach first sought to identify the "one best way" to perform a job.
One of the earliest and best-known statements of the mechanistic approach is:
scientific management. Scientific management was one of the earliest and best-known statements of the mechanistic approach. According to this approach, productivity could be maximized by taking a scientific approach to the process of designing jobs. Scientific management first sought to identify the "one best way" to perform the job.
Nikita Jones, an HR Generalist at the Outer Banks Corporation, reviewed 50 job applicants for a management trainee job. She screened their applications based on their prior work experience and references from previous employers and placed them into three piles: highly qualified, qualified, and not qualified. She then forwarded the applications of the applicants from the qualified and highly qualified applicants to the hiring manager for her review and follow-up. These activities are part of the _________blank process.
selection. Human resource selection identifies the most qualified applicants for employment. To identify which applicants are most qualified, it is first necessary to determine the tasks that will be performed by the individual hired and the knowledge, skills, and abilities the individual must have to perform the job effectively.
The job of sales representatives at ULTRACAR, a luxury car dealership, is unique in that sales representatives can handle all aspects of the sales process from showing vehicles to customers, agreeing on a selling price, arranging financing, and completing the final paperwork when the customer picks up the vehicle. According to the Job Characteristics Model, this is an example of a job that possesses high
task identity. Task identity is the degree to which a job requires completing a "whole" piece of work from beginning to end. Autonomy is the degree to which the job allows an individual to make decisions about the way the work will be carried out.
The _________blank section in a position analysis questionnaire (PAQ) focuses on the physical activities, tools, and devices used by the worker to perform the job.
work output The work output section in a Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) focuses on the physical activities, tools, and devices used by the worker to perform the job.
Haley Jones, a manager at Cooks & Books Incorporated, a publisher of cookbooks, is tasked with identifying the various pieces of work required to edit, typeset, and publish a new children's cookbook prior to allocating and assigning them to his subordinates. Which of the following processes is Haley expected to perform?
workflow design Workflow design is the process of analyzing the tasks necessary for the production of a product or service, prior to allocating and assigning these tasks to a particular job category or person. In this scenario, Haley is performing the workflow design required to publish a cookbook.
Dante Johnson, a management consultant, was hired by the Comet Corporation to analyze the production processes for the semiconductors it makes by examining the complex and dynamic relationship between system inputs and outputs and how to optimize them. This is an example of
workflow design. Whereas workflow design provides a longitudinal overview of the dynamic relationships by which inputs are converted into outputs, organization structure provides a cross-sectional overview of the static relationships between individuals and units that create the outputs.
